(New York) The National Hockey League announced Tuesday that New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba was the recipient of the Mark Messier Trophy.
The winner is chosen by former Rangers captain Messier himself, and has been presented since 2007 to a player “displaying great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season, and who plays a major role in the growth of hockey in his community.”
Trouba is the first Rangers player to earn the honor, having helped his team win the Presidents’ Trophy this season. The Rangers achieved an all-time high with 55 wins, finishing the season with 114 points.
Trouba scored 22 points in 69 games and played an average of 21 minutes per game. The defender is an important element of the Rangers’ numerical inferiority, he who also finished the campaign with 183 blocked shots (12e NHL rank).
Off the ice, the Michigan native has played an important role in promoting the sport.
He attended the Rangers’ annual week-long hockey camp for boys and girls. An artist by nature, Trouba also sold prints of his talent to help raise money for the Garden of Dreams Foundation and the Epilepsy Foundation of New York.
Trouba and his wife, Kelly, who has epilepsy, created the Trouba Creative Expressions Art program.